


Coming Home

by Shamelessly_Radiant



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Coming of Age, Gen, Mother-Daughter Relationship, holding on and letting go, seeing your little girl grow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-16
Updated: 2014-11-16
Packaged: 2018-02-25 14:52:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2625794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shamelessly_Radiant/pseuds/Shamelessly_Radiant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mrs. Granger, One-shot:<br/>Because no parent should ever have to bury their own children, and she is afraid because the possibility has started to seem all too real lately.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coming Home

**1991-1992**

When Hermione comes home after her first year, she looks so happy, so excited, she practically _glows._ She can't stop talking about her friends, about her lessons, about her coursework, about her grades.

Mrs. Granger smiles at her husband, because the little girl they know is back, and they get to keep her for two months, before she goes back to that strange, strange world she now seems to belong to.

**1992-1993**

When she comes home from second year, Mrs. Granger immediately senses something is wrong.

She is evasive when they ask her why she didn't answer their letters for so long, and mumbles something about having been sick before she heads up to her room.

Hermione doesn't talk properly to them for two weeks, and then suddenly, one night at the dinner table, starts crying like mad, and lets it all come out.

She tells them about a boy, a boy who looks at her like she is less than the dirt on his shoes, who looks at her like she is not worthy, like she doesn't belong in the world she has come to love.

Mudblood, he will call her, and she will cry at night, when no one can see her, when no one can hear her.

Her friends don't understand. They defend her, and they stand by her but they don't understand. One of them is a pureblood, and the other is Harry Potter, and well, that's all that matters.

They don't understand how much it hurts to see other people look at her in a funny way sometimes, they don't understand how much it hurts being attacked, not because being petrified hurts, just because she was attacked for what she _was_ , for how she was born, and that's the reason people wanted her _death._

_Filthy little Mudblood, mum, that's all I am, that's all I ever will be. No matter how smart, or brave I am, they will never see anything else when they look at me, nothing but that ugly Mudblood girl, with bushy hair and beaver teeth._

She listens and holds her daughter until she has cried herself to sleep, and then cries with her husband too, because there is nothing they can do about it, in a world they don't belong.

**1993-1994**

After third year, she looks like she has lived adventures. She tells about people turning into dogs, and Harry finding a part of his family, and travelling through time and she looks happy again, and so Mrs. Granger smiles at her husband, and he smiles back at her.

**1994-1995**

She looks so tired, and so afraid and lost when she comes back one year later. Mrs. Granger doesn't understand, because the letters she got all spoke about an exciting competition, a wonderful ball, a fairy-tale dance, and a lovely prince to sweep her away.

Hermione had send pictures, and she had loved the blue dress on her beautiful figure, and the way her hair fell down in soft curls from the knot in her neck.

She had looked so relaxed there, so safe, and now that is gone from her face.

Mrs. Granger pretends she doesn't notice, but she notices all right. She notices the papers Hermione will hide quickly when one of them walks into her room, the letters she will lean over to block them from reading anything.

So, when Hermione finally talks to her one evening, she hugs her  tight, wondering when her little girl stopped being so little, and wondering what next year will bring them.

**1995-1996**

She had received a letter from the school, telling her Hermione had been slightly injured but was fine now, with no more details.

No more details. And when Hermione comes home, she doesn't says anything either.

Then, one evening, as she enters the bathroom, she freezes. Because, in the split second before Hermione drops her shirt, she has seen them everywhere.

Gashes and scars. Her whole torso is filled with them.

Is that what they called _slightly_ injured at her school?

"Mum!" Hermione says, annoyed, and Mrs. Granger leaves without a sound.

She doesn't tells her husband.

Three weeks later, when they are all attending the funeral of their neighbours son, who was only two years older than Hermione and died in a car accident, gone in a flash, Mrs. Granger takes Hermione's hand and holds on tight and wishes she will never have to let go.

Because no parent should ever have to bury their own children, and she is afraid because lately the possibility has started to seem all to real.

**1996-1997**

When Hermione comes back this year she wonders when the eleven year old girl disappeared, and when this unknown woman appeared.

She is not unknown though, she is Hermione, she is her _daughter_ , and so she hugs her, and talks to her like everything is normal.

But it's not, and Mrs. Granger knows it. She notices the tense shoulders of her daughter, the crying in her room, and the little things she seems to be forgetting every time Hermione is practicing spells.

She wants to lock Hermione up, or take her away somewhere, because she knows what's coming. But she knows she won't be able to protect her, simply because her daughter, who got her strong will from her, will not let her.

When did it became her role to protect them from things, instead of the other way around?

When does a parent realizes there is nothing to do but letting go?

Somewhere she has known it all along, that this moment would come.

So when she finds Hermione with her wand trained on her and an _I love you_ on her lips, she smiles sadly and tells her _I love you too_ , _honey_ and she pretends everything is normal, and she pretends she does not sees the tears.

And she lets go.

**1998**

And when Hermione comes back with apologies on her lips, she hugs her and she kisses her and she tells her she understands.

Because she does, and everything is all right now, and she won't have to bury her child after all.

And the best thing is, Hermione will not leave ever again.

Her daughter is home.

**Author's Note:**

> I am fairly new in writing, and definitely new on this site. English is also not my first language, so please let me know if you are interested in being a Beta and if you like what I write.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
